JBJ 12g Nano-Cube setup

[Doc Hammer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10149002#post10149002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randall_James
Salt water will hold for weeks... does not hurt to run a powerhead in it prior to use

No problem, I'm probably going to upgrade my pump to a Maxi Jet 900 or 1200, so I'll just use the stock pump for that job.

And how much do I need to worry about pH? Will the pH be 8.2 automatically? Or do I need to get some buffers?

 

[Doc Hammer]

bump

 

[seapug]

PH of fresh SW should be fine and you don't need to worry about it too much during the cycle, anyway. It will probably bounce around a bit at first, as will most parameters. Just try to keep up with topoffs for the first couple weeks to keep salinity steady then do a water change and run the standard tests (PH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) daily for a few days and see where you are at.

 

[Doc Hammer]

So if pH is stable and ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite are reading 0 for afew days in a row, it should be safe to stock the tank, right?

 

[Randall_James]

The biggest problem most people have hands down is putting stuff in the tank too soon....

You are going to have a series of algae outbreaks and they are normally pretty unavoidable.. If you start putting live stuff in the tank, they will be worse. IMO 60-90 days is a "short" wait and 6 months is best before adding any fish.

BUT not many have the patience...

 

[Doc Hammer]

Well, algae outbreaks I'm not worried about. I'm even hoping that I get algae on the back of my tank! Then my snails won't be as vulnerable to the mantis if they're busy eating above him and not in front of him.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

the odds of you getting a mantis in the 15 or so lbs of live rock you will be getting is very slim. But on a much shorter note, I would wait at least a month from the time you added rock, and at least a week with zero amm and trite reading before adding a cleanup crew.

 

[Doc Hammer]

I'm actually BUYING the mantis, a N. Wennera from TBS, so no worries on the mantis.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

Ah ha, should have read your hobby expeience line. Cool first tank idea!

 

[Doc Hammer]

I actually just got all the stuff I needed yesterday. Only got about 7 pounds of LLR. The Marshall Island LR was there, but won't be cured for about 2 weeks, so I'll get about 5 lbs of that next time I'm there. The LRR I did pick up is very good quality, I've even found a beautiful little red fan worm on one of the rocks, and lots of pretty maroon macro-algae, so I'm quite happy with my purchases. Also, I went with a carbon/phosphate mix. Set up is carbon/phosphate bag at the bottom of the first chamber with two sponges on top, about a pound of LRR in the second chamber, and the Maxi-Jet 1200 in the third chamber. The heater is on the back wall of the tank, and I'll probably stay there till I'm done cycling. Also, I got a Hydro Flo deflector and it's working very well.

Thanks to everybody who helped me out!

 

[Scuba_Steve]

PICS!

 

[rsw686]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10149002#post10149002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randall_James
Salt water will hold for weeks... does not hurt to run a powerhead in it prior to use

Better to have a powerhead aerating it the entire time. I've made saltwater up and had extra, left it in a 5gal container for a week and when I went to use it there was algae on the bottom of the container and the water had a tint to it. I've left RO/DI water in the same type container for weeks without problems.

 

[Doc Hammer]

Here's the pictures, although they're not good quality.

This is with the lights on, you'll have to trust me that it looks better than the picture makes it out to look.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m196/Macacka/DSCF1505.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

The top opened.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m196/Macacka/DSCF1506.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

And a full view from the top.
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m196/Macacka/DSCF1510.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

I was trying to get some good pictures of the hitchhikers, but the camera I was using isn't very good for the job, so I'll take some pictures later. Like I said, I have that nice little red fan worm, and I've just now found a little tiny green ricordea, although I'm not too sure that it will make it since half of it is white and limp and the other side is green but still doesn't look well. Oh well, still a nice find for a hitchhiker. Also noticed that there's something florescent on top of one of my branch corals when ever I turn on the LED blue moon lights, so I'll have to check that out some time.

 

[Randall_James]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10159587#post10159587 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rsw686
Better to have a powerhead aerating it the entire time. I've made saltwater up and had extra, left it in a 5gal container for a week and when I went to use it there was algae on the bottom of the container and the water had a tint to it. I've left RO/DI water in the same type container for weeks without problems.

This would seem to indicate you are storing your water without a lid.. not a good idea

Do keep your stored water (salt or otherwise) sealed best you can. There are plenty of airborne things that can end up in your water and so a good idea to keep them covered. Also if they are covered, a powerhead is going to do pretty much nothing except add heat. Also, most any salt water you store is going to have a "slime" that covers the inside of the container and does not seem to hurt a thing

EDIT:

You could move the heater inside the rear compartments..

Cassette case mod: This will help keep the water level in the main tank stable. The water level in the rear compartments will drop as water evaporates but the front display will stay the same. It also works as a surface skimmer (will help your fission skimmer out) This is an old pic and I think you can see how it works, it uses the clear cassette case cover to create a weir.